Merkel Delay Due To 'Technical Fault'

Iran has said a "technical problem" was to blame for briefly
closing its airspace to German Chancellor Angela Merkel's plane as she flew to
India, thereby delaying her arrival and sparking a diplomatic row.

Iran's official IRAN news agency quoted foreign ministry
spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast as saying that the problem , which occurred on May
31, "was caused only by a technical question that was immediately resolved."

Merkel, speaking at a news conference in New Delhi, declined to go into detail
about the inconvenience, which saw her plane circle for two hours over Turkey
before receiving permission to cross Iran's airspace.

But her foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, said the incident "shows a lack of
respect towards Germany that we will not accept."

Germany is one of six world powers trying to convince Tehran to abandon
controversial nuclear work